Various devices are known for moving objects such as rolls of material or similar cylindrical or annular shaped objects. U.S. Pat. No. 3,212,650 shows an apparatus for unloading annular articles from a processing apparatus such as a machine tool, in which a cylinder actuates a linkage to close a pair of pivoted gripping arms about the article. U.S. Pat. No. 4,709,870 discloses an apparatus for supporting a large roll of cloth by its winding shaft, in which keeper rollers are moved aside to permit the apparatus to engage the shaft and then pivoted back beneath the shaft to permit the apparatus to support the shaft as it rotates. U.S. Pat. No. 4,810,019 discloses a type of collet chuck including a pair of linkages actuated by a cylinder to grasp cylindrical objects of various diameters.
Apparatus of the types shown in these patents are generally not suitable for handling rather large rolls of delicate web material such as 35 mm photographic film. Such rolls may comprise a length of film of several thousand feet and must be handled with care to prevent the convolutions of the roll from shifting axially and to avoid contact of the roll with objects which might damage the film. Because of these concerns about the film, such rolls commonly are manually loaded onto and removed from various processing apparatus, such as perforators and spoolers. To ease the burden on the persons handling such rolls, the weight of the rolls is controlled by limiting the length of the film. While such limits are considered necessary for manual handling to avoid injuries to workers as well as damage to the film, the throughput to the processing apparatus is hampered severely by the requirement to use small rolls. Thus, a need has existed to eliminate the job of manual handling by providing automatic apparatus capable of lifting much heavier and larger rolls of film, placing such rolls on the processing apparatus and removing them after processing, all without incurring damage to the film.